- abstinence any self-restraint, self-denial, or forbearance.
- accrue (of a benefit or sum of money) be received by someone in regular or increasing amounts over time.
- acolyte any attendant, assistant, or follower.
- adage a traditional saying expressing a common experience or observation; proverb.
- addled to make or become confused.
- allegory a representation of an abstract or spiritual meaning through concrete or material forms; figurative treatment of one subject under the guise of another.
- amicable characterized by or showing goodwill; friendly; peaceable: an amicable settlement.
- amorphous lacking definite form; having no specific shape; formless: the amorphous clouds.
- anemone a plant of the buttercup family which typically has brightly coloured flowers and deeply divided leaves.
- antagonistic hostile; unfriendly.
- anticyclone a weather system with high barometric pressure at its centre, around which air slowly circulates in a clockwise (northern hemisphere) or anticlockwise (southern hemisphere) direction. Anticyclones are associated with calm, fine weather.
- antithesis opposition; contrast.
- anvil a heavy iron block with a smooth face, frequently of steel, on which metals, usually heated until soft, are hammered into desired shapes.
- aphorism a terse saying embodying a general truth, or astute observation
- apoplectic of or relating to apoplexy, a sudden, usually marked loss of bodily function due to rupture or occlusion of a blood vessel.
- aqua regia a yellow, fuming liquid composed of one part nitric acid and three to four parts hydrochloric acid: used chiefly to dissolve metals as gold, platinum, or the like.
- ardor great warmth of feeling; fervor; passion.
- aria an elaborate melody sung solo with accompaniment, as in an opera or oratorio. | an air or melody.
- artifice a clever trick or stratagem; a cunning, crafty device or expedient; wile.
- askance with suspicion, mistrust, or disapproval: He looked askance at my offer. | with a side glance; sidewise; obliquely.
- asterism a group of stars.
- astute clever; cunning; ingenious; shrewd:
- atrophied exhibiting or affected with atrophy; wasted; withered; shriveled: an atrophied arm; an atrophied talent.
- attenuate to weaken or reduce in force, intensity, effect, quantity, or value: to attenuate desire.
- awry away from the usual or expected course; amiss.
- balked to stop, as at an obstacle, and refuse to proceed or to do something specified (usually followed by 'at'): He balked at making the speech.
- bastion One that upholds or defends something, as against neglect or unpopularity
- besiege to crowd around; crowd in upon; surround
- blasé indifferent to or bored with life; unimpressed, as or as if from an excess of worldly pleasures.
- blasted withered or blighted; laid waste.
- blight a thing that spoils or damages something.
- bludgeon force or bully (someone) to do something.
- brazen shameless or impudent: brazen presumption.
- camphor a whitish, translucent, crystalline, pleasant-odored terpene ketone, C 10 H 16 O, obtained from the camphor tree, used chiefly in the manufacture of celluloid and in medicine as a counter-irritant for infections and in the treatment of pain and itching.
- caprice a sudden, unpredictable change, as of one's mind or the weather.
- caustic capable of burning, corroding, or destroying living tissue.
- chafed To wear away or irritate by rubbing or friction
- charlatan a person who pretends or claims to have more knowledge or skill than he or she possesses; quack.
- chimera a mythological, fire-breathing monster, commonly represented with a lion's head, a goat's body, and a serpent's tail.
- clairvoyance the supernatural power of seeing objects or actions removed in space or time from natural viewing.
- clandestine characterized by, done in, or executed with secrecy or concealment, especially for purposes of subversion or deception; private or surreptitious: Their clandestine meetings went undiscovered for two years.
- cognizant having cognizance; aware (usually followed by 'of'): He was cognizant of the difficulty.
- compendium A short but complete summary of something.
- complacent pleased, especially with oneself or one's merits, advantages, situation, etc., often without awareness of some potential danger or defect; self-satisfied.
- concatenation the state of being concatenated; connection, as in a chain.
- concede admit or agree that something is true after first denying or resisting it.
- concession the act of conceding or yielding, as a right, a privilege, or a point or fact in an argument: He made no concession to caution. | the thing or point yielded: Management offered a shorter workweek as a concession.
- concupiscence sexual desire; lust.
- conducive tending to produce; contributive; helpful; favorable (usually followed by to): Good eating habits are conducive to good health.
- congeal to change from a soft or fluid state to a rigid or solid state, as by cooling or freezing: The fat congealed on the top of the soup.
- consolation the act of consoling; comfort; solace.
- consolidate to bring together (separate parts) into a single or unified whole; unite; combine: They consolidated their three companies.
- consternation a sudden, alarming amazement or dread that results in utter confusion; dismay.
- contempt the feeling with which a person regards anything considered mean, vile, or worthless; disdain; scorn.
- coronary of or relating to the human heart, with respect to health.
- coveting to wish for, especially eagerly. | to desire wrongfully, inordinately, or without due regard for the rights of others.
- covetous inordinately or wrongly desirous of wealth or possessions; greedy.
- crucible a container of metal or refractory material employed for heating substances to high temperatures.
- daguerreotype an obsolete photographic process, invented in 1839, in which a picture made on a silver surface sensitized with iodine was developed by exposure to mercury vapor. | a picture made by this process
- decrepit weakened by old age; feeble; infirm: a decrepit man who can hardly walk.
- deflective To turn aside or cause to turn aside; bend or deviate.
- delectable delightful; highly pleasing; enjoyable: a delectable witticism.
- derelict in a very poor condition as a result of disuse and neglect.
- derision ridicule; mockery: The inept performance elicited derision from the audience.
- desist stop doing something; cease or abstain.
- despondency low spirits from loss of hope or courage; dejection.
- despot a king or other ruler with absolute, unlimited power; autocrat. | any tyrant or oppressor.
- dignified having or showing a composed or serious manner that is worthy of respect.
- discombobulate disconcert or confuse (someone).
- disconsolate without consolation or solace; hopelessly unhappy; inconsolable: Loss of her pet dog made her disconsolate.
- dismal characterized by ineptness or lack of skill, competence, effectiveness, imagination, or interest; pitiful: Our team played a dismal game. | causing gloom or dejection; gloomy; dreary; cheerless; melancholy: dismal weather.
- dispassionate not influenced by strong emotion, and so able to be rational and impartial.
- distend swell or cause to swell by pressure from inside.
- docile easily managed or handled; tractable: a docile horse.
- eclectic selecting or choosing from various sources. | not following any one system, as of philosophy, medicine, etc., but selecting and using what are considered the best elements of all systems.
- elicited to draw or bring out or forth; educe; evoke.
- embittered to make bitter; cause to feel bitterness.
- engender to produce, cause, or give rise to: Hatred engenders violence.
- ensconced to settle securely or snugly: I found her in the library, ensconced in an armchair.
- entreaty earnest request or petition; supplication.
- errant deviating from the regular or proper course; erring; straying.
- erstwhile former; of times past.
- estrange to turn away in feeling or affection; make unfriendly or hostile; alienate the affections of: Their quarrel estranged the two friends.
- etymology the derivation of a word. (word origin)
- evanescent passing out of sight; fading away; vanishing
- farce foolish show; mockery; a ridiculous sham.
- flagged to hang loosely or limply; droop.
- flagrant shockingly noticeable or evident; obvious; glaring: a flagrant error.
- flux a flowing or flow.
- gait a manner of walking, stepping, or running.
- gall impudence; effrontery.
- garrison a body of troops stationed in a fortified place.
- gloaming twilight; dusk.
- gloating to look at or think about with great or excessive, often smug or malicious, satisfaction.
- gravitas Seriousness or solemnity in demeanor or treatment
- gregarious (of a person) fond of company; sociable.
- grovel act obsequiously in order to obtain forgiveness or favour.
- hapless (especially of a person) unfortunate.
- harrumphed clear the throat noisily.
- hawking carry about and offer (goods) for sale, typically advertising them by shouting.
nov 1 2015 ∞
apr 28 2016 +
apr 28 2016 +